Coast Guard repatriates 25 migrants to the Dominican Republic

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard repatriated 25 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy patrol boat Saturday, following an at-sea interdiction of the migrants in the Mona Passage.

Five other migrants interdicted in the group are facing federal criminal immigration charges in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection maritime patrol aircraft detected the migrants the night of May 29 traveling aboard a 25-foot boat just off the west coast of Puerto Rico.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon which arrived on scene and interdicted the migrant vessel. The crew of the Richard Dixon provided the migrants with life jackets and embarked all the passengers. Once onboard the cutter, the migrants received food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.

The five migrants facing federal prosecution were transferred to the custody of Customs and Border Protection Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez.

The cutter Richard Dixon is a 154 fast response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Caribbean Border Interagency Group was formally created to unify efforts of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Attorney‘s Office for the District of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action (FURA, for its Spanish acronym), in their common goal of securing the borders of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands against illegal migrant and drug smuggling.